New documentary highlights the dangers of working in an office

This entry was posted on March 15, 2012 by Paul.

The recent BBC Horizon report, ‘The Truth About Exercise’ has highlighted the very real issues that millions in the UK and abroad face, by the simple act of spending too much time sitting down. Suggesting that with the majority of office workers sitting at their desks for eight hours a day, five days a week, an alarming amount of people are facing very real and very serious health problems.

Posturite Ltd, Britain’s biggest supplier of ergonomic office furniture, have praised the BBC for demonstrating to people everywhere, the importance of keeping active and moving around regularly.

Ian Fletcher-Price, CEO at Posturite said: It’s something we’ve been telling people for years; a chair can be a killer if you spend too much time in it. It’s absolutely vital that people who have desk jobs take regular breaks, stand up as often as they can, and generally keep on the move as much as possible.

“We have to recognise that the human body was never designed for long periods of sitting, a good ergonomic chair can help by encouraging movement and assisting with posture, however regular periods of moving around are still essential.”

In the Horizon programme, reporter Michael Mosley was put through a series of tests to show the impact that different forms of exercise could have on his health. He and two other volunteers were each fitted with a pair of ‘fidget pants’ to monitor their movements over a 24-hour period, and the results clearly showed the negative effects of long periods of sitting.

“The BBC has done us all a big favour by pointing out the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. As the reporter said: ‘Who’d have thought the chair could kill?’, but we have long known the importance of getting up off your backside on a regular basis.” Ian Fletcher-Price added.

“Now I just hope that companies and individuals take notice. There are signs of hope in that we have noticed a definite upturn in orders from companies prepared to invest proactively in equipment designed to give desk-bound staff greater health protection – things like sit/stand desks, ergonomic seating, writing slopes/document holders, vertical mice, monitor raisers, laptop solutions and so on.

“Indeed, our 20th year in business has been our best ever, so perhaps the message is finally getting through that a small investment in staff comfort and welfare can pay off handsomely in terms of fewer workplace absences and greater productivity.”